Valentions

During the 2070s, the Valentinos were based out of Heywood in central Night City. They were one of the largest gangs in the metropolis, with a membership of about 6,000 in 2077. Strictly territorial, they operated in the vast impoverished Latino barrios in the Glen, Vista del Rey, and Wellsprings, where they were strongly rooted in the local communities. They were representatives of the Chicano culture of Night City and had cultivated those traditions for more than a century.
Valentinos openly displayed their gang tattoos and gold jewelry with religious motifs. The most common patrons were the Santa Muerte and Jesús Malverde. The first being seen as a symbol for a holy death and the latter as an honorable thief who was said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. They also had a taste for colorful clothes, pimped out lowriders, and silver and gold-plated guns. Cyberware used by the gang included reflex boosters, autoloaders, and augmented cyberlimbs

Structure

The majority of Valentino members were of Mexican heritage, but other ethnic groups and people with different background were welcome to join. Members tended to integrate quickly, adopting Chicano culture and celebrating various Mexican holidays and customs like Dia de Los Muertos, Quinceañeras, Semana Santa, or Dia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
This sense of common heritage or at least shared customs binded the gang with the local people to form one big family. The community's loyalty protected the gang members, which made NCPD and corporate infiltrations into the gang almost impossible. In return, the Valentinos protected the whole neighborhood. It wass for these reasons that betraying one's gang was seen as the most heinous crime a Valentino could commit, and was usually punished with a particularly gruesome death.
On the other hand, Valentinos who died fighting other gangs, police, or corporate enforcers were often remembered as saints and martyrs. These people were commemorated in songs and depicted on giant murals. This memorial street art functioned as religious iconography and often incorporated written descriptions of the saint's glorious deeds

Assets

The Valentinos owned many legitimate businesses such as restaurants, auto shops, local construction companies, and nightclubs, but also operated braindance recording studios, and sports-betting parlors. The legal businesses often served as a front for criminal activity: as meeting places, money-laundering operations, or illegal chop shops for stolen vehicles.
Their main sources of income were gun smuggling, car theft, drug trafficking, robbery, burglary, hit jobs (including assault or murder), prostitution, and illegal modification of weapons and vehicles

History

The Valentinos gang of Night City has a long and layered history that traces its origins back to the earlier days of gang formation in the chaotic social environment of the city. During the late 2030s, the Valentinos began carving out a deadly reputation, largely thanks to two infamous figures: La Llorona and El Sombreron. These two operated as ruthless enforcers, earning notoriety as "the butchers" of the gang. Their tactics were bloody and effective, eliminating enemies of the Valentinos with precision and brutality. While La Llorona faked her death during a mission and disappeared with a new identity sometime in the mid-2040s, El Sombreron remained in Night City, eventually becoming one of the most feared and recognizable faces within the organization.
Around or before the 2060s, the Valentinos had evolved into a small, predominantly Latino cartel operating out of Heywood, a district they considered their home and stronghold. It was during this time that a violent incident known as the Moto Cielo bloodbath decimated many of the gang’s members. One of the few survivors was Sebastian Ibarra, a priest affiliated with the Valentinos, who emerged from the massacre with a new perspective and sense of purpose. Refashioning himself as a fixer, he would become known throughout Night City as Padre, a man who held firm to the old codes of honor and morality even within the brutal world of gang politics.
By the 2070s, the Valentinos had grown into one of the largest gangs in Night City. Far from the stereotype of chaotic criminal elements, they adhered to a strict moral code rooted in centuries-old Catholic traditions and neighborhood loyalty. Their primary concern was not ethnicity or religion, but the preservation and protection of the people of Heywood—the community that had raised them. Honor, justice, brotherhood, and respect for Santa Muerte became core tenets of their identity, enforced not just in words but in deeds. Tourists and outsiders were typically treated with neutrality—so long as they didn’t cause trouble, they were often even helped and redirected when lost.
Their cultural life was vibrant, filled with parties, parades, drag races, and heavy drinking, but always watched over by a strong sense of spiritual and community obligation. Despite rumors of the Valentinos having once been a society of Lotharios competing in games of seduction, the modern gang denied any such past, standing firmly on the foundation of being defenders of Heywood’s soul and strength.
By 2071, tensions between the Valentinos and the 6th Street gang escalated into a sustained turf war, with Westbrook becoming one of the main flashpoints. The conflict intensified further in the following years, particularly over Vista del Rey, a sub-district where violence eventually forced many long-time residents to abandon their homes. By 2077, this part of the city had become extremely dangerous due to the ongoing feud. That same year, a rogue Valentino named José Luis was discovered acting on behalf of Arasaka in a scheme meant to frame Militech for an assault on an Arasaka facility. His actions were ultimately thwarted by Sebastian Ibarra, who had continued to exert influence in the city and within the gang despite no longer being an active member.
Meanwhile, the gang’s official leader, Campo Orta, remained incarcerated with four more years left on his sentence as of 2077. Despite his absence, the Valentinos maintained cohesion, continuing their dominance over Heywood and asserting their presence across the city through strong internal loyalty, a deeply rooted code of conduct, and the persistent fire of cultural pride. Their story is one of survival, transformation, and a deep tie to place—Heywood was, is, and always will be their heart.

Type

Illicit, Gang